British Freemasonry, 1717-1813

Book excerpt: Freemasonry was a major component of British cultural, social and intellectual life during the Enlightenment era. It was also a successful British export, becoming popular around the globe and evolving into one of the social forces that bound the countries of the Empire together. In contrast to the secrecy that surrounds the movement today, the eighteenth-century press was able to report on the feasts, processions and concerts that were held and to even list some of the members by name. Despite rules against discussing religion or politics inside the lodge, freemasonry nonetheless both influenced and reflected the religious and political turmoil of the day, with almost all lodges condemning the French Revolution and claiming allegiance to the monarchy. This primary resource collection begins at the point when organized freemasonry was established with the unification of four lodges into the Grand Lodge of England, and ends with the two rival Grand Lodges - the Antients and Moderns - combined to form the United Grand Lodge of England. The five themed volumes cover Institutions, Rituals (two volumes), Debates and Representations.0Documents include minutes of meetings, rituals (some written in code), funeral services, sermons, membership lists, letters, pamphlets, theatrical prologues and epilogues, and articles from newspapers and periodicals. Material is rare and much of it comes from unpublished manuscript sources held in Masonic archives. The edition will be of interest to scholars of freemasonry, the Enlightenment, religious history, gender, and eighteenth-century studies more widely. Full scholarly apparatus is provided, including a substantial general introduction which discusses the movement in Scotland and Ireland as well as England.